


glow a mile high up

by azurill



Category: The Last of Us
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-02
Updated: 2020-01-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:42:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22078660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/azurill/pseuds/azurill
Summary: It's comical how clumsy Dina is with a bow, considering how good she is at everything else under the sun.
Relationships: Dina/Ellie (The Last of Us)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 92





	glow a mile high up

It had all started when they — Dina, Millie, Samuel, a newcomer she never memorized the name of — had run out of bullets. Turns out the town closest to the settlement didn't run out of clickers and they ended up stranded somewhere, too far from any other patrol team that might be able to help. Dina never told her how they got themselves out of that dead end. Millie came back with a broken arm, or so she heard. It's hard to say what's true and what's false in Jackson unless you see it for yourself, so she chooses to take every information with a grain of salt.

What she knows is that Dina came back with a renewed confidence for learning archery, so Ellie offered her own bow, a birthday gift, so she could practice; and then she offered company when Dina refused to let herself be taught.

Dina knows the basics, she knows how to aim, but she’s just — just clumsy. It's comical how clumsy Dina is with a bow, considering how good she is at everything else under the sun. Ellie busies herself all afternoon with carving a wooden figure with a knife, just waiting for her stubbornness to seem less advantageous than asking directly for help. 

Ellie takes her refusal as a blessing in disguise. That way, she doesn’t get to feel Dina’s back against her chest close enough to keep her wide awake for a whole night, thinking of how heavy the rest of her body might feel against her own. She doesn’t get to smell the calming scent of her lavender soap too close for comfort or to touch her fingertips just slightly enough to brush it off as accidental.

Dina throws her hands in the air in exasperation and Ellie barely looks up from her work, too afraid to look at something that might fuel her imagination even more. Against her better judgement, she says, “You can just ask me for help."

"I vividly remember you telling me I _needed_ your help."

“You sure look like you need it."

Dina purses her lips, pensive. “You know what, Ellie?” She reaches for another arrow, sweat running down the collar of her maroon shirt. “I’m not even gonna say anything.”

“That’s a first for you.” Ellie feels a smile tugging at the corner of her lips, happily settling in the pace of their usual teasing. Dina doesn’t seem to hear her all. She bites her bottom lip, lifting her arm before letting the arrow loose in a matter of seconds. Her face breaks in joy as the arrow lands in the center of the target, surrounded by other two other arrows that ended up too close, but not quite in the bullseye.

“See?”

Dina turns to her, the satisfaction on her grin radiating smugness. The air suddenly feels heavy inside her lungs, a familiar quiver in her stomach returning with full force. _Butterflies_. She’s getting fucking butterflies from seeing Dina smile at her like that. Ellie lets out a silent breath, terrified of shattering a moment that seems as delicate as glass. The other girl holds her gaze and her eyes seem brighter, then, shining like little gold coins under the last rays of the sun.

Ellie’s eyes wander down to her lips, cracked and slightly swollen from how often Dina was biting them. _I want to kiss her_ , Ellie thinks. _I want to kiss her_. It’s not the first time she’s thought about it. Some nights she even allows herself to fantasize about Dina not pushing her away, but pulling her in instead, until they’re so close that –

"What’re looking at?"

She feels shame coursing through from her head to her toes like she’s been caught reading one unsavory magazine. Ellie's mind is racing, searching for anything that can bring her mind back to safe shore.

"Your face. It's stupid."

Dina brushes a curl out of her eyes, smile turning wider, which both stuns and thrills Ellie to no end. “If I didn’t know better, Williams,” she lifts in her chin, seeming like she just mastered archery instead of hitting one single bullseye. “I’d say you have a crush on me.”

 _Fuck._ Maybe Dina can really read her mind like Ellie sometimes thinks she can. Or maybe Ellie’s crystal clear and that means _anyone_ can see it. She doesn't know which one is worse.

Her own voice cuts through her thoughts, one rational beacon in the midst of a jumbled mess of emotions and sheer stupidness.

“We should be getting back.”

Dina doesn't look too happy at her attempt of changing the subject, but she gives in, most likely too tired to argue. They walk in what seems to be a comfortable silence. Ellie carries her bow – she was eager to have it back in her hands – and Dina carries a quiver, along with a small bottle of orange juice they ended up forgetting about.

Ellie stares into the darkening sky and back to Dina.

She promises she’ll be there for her practice tomorrow and spends the night wide awake.

**Author's Note:**

> not sure if i like this but the tag is so dry and my desktop so full of unfinished drafts i thought i'd post something. happy 2020 everyone ❣


End file.
